Broken Like Me
by AkemiKae
Summary: Rainy nights, swallowed tears, and painful secrets: Ban and Ginji have been friends going on a few years, but do they really know each other as well as they thought they had? Ban appears to be hiding something big from his best friend Ginji, and it's beginning to have him worried sick over him. Will they ever fully understand each others emotional and physical scars? AU
1. Rainy Nights and B Rate Movies

I have been wanting to write a longer Get Backers fan fiction for the _longest _time, so I'm glad I'm finally getting to it. Plus, I am hoping to have this be a heavy angst/romance/occasionally funny, fanfiction, so I hope you enjoy it.

**Note: **This is an alternate universe, as you would hopefully notice as you read through it. While the universe in the fanfiction is mine, the characters are clearly not and belong to their respectable, and obviously amazing, owners.

**XXX**

**Broken Like Me**

_A Get Backers Fanfiction_

_Chapter One_

_Rainy Nights and B-rate Movies_

__**XXX**

Dark gray skies covered the small city of Shinjuku, making the residences feel heavy and weighed down. The clouds had been hanging above the town for about a week, with no sign of growing thin any time soon. Thick rain storms had occurred every few days, lasting a few hours each. Puddles were scattered about the streets, splashing violently as cars swept over them, bad weather not slowing down the town's pace by much at all.

Every sound in the area sounded muffled and oddly stretched out from the strange amount of fog that had drifted down over the city limits. making you feel as if you were walking in a dream.

Down in the streets was a tall young man, dark hair splayed across his face, hands shoved into pockets, eyes facing the concrete. His walking stride seemed a little sluggish, as he strode down the sidewalk, not even bothering to watch where he was headed. Somehow, he had not ran into one person, and even managed to dodge quite a few of them. It was as if he had some type of sixth sense, enabling him to be aware of his surroundings, without having to actually see them.

He walked down a few blocks, not seeming to care that he was getting soaked by the pouring rain, and the occasional car running over a giant puddle of water, thrashed street water into his face. The only thing the young man did to show that he cared about something in the situation was rub the bottom of his nose from the sensation of an oncoming sneeze, most likely caused from the extreme exposure to the cold weather.

It was clear that he had some type of destination, as he would stop at a corner here and there to figure out his surroundings and switch direction if he felt the need to.

As soon as the soaked man stopped in front of a large run down building with windows on the side, and one door on the front with a sign reading 'Inazuma Apartments'*, he began to show some type of emotion. His face switched from irritated, to sad, to angry in a matter of a few seconds. He began pacing in front of the door for a few minutes before he finally figured out what he wanted to do. He let out a small curse word, then opened the door slowly, getting chilled from the sudden change in temperature, though it wasn't by much.

Heading up the stairs till he reached the top floor, he then hesitated in front of a door with the numbers '436' inscripted upon it. He sighed disheartened a few times, stroking his scalp while his hand slid through his soaked hair, in an action that appeared to be caused by nerves. Eventually he knocked on the door, going from barely audible, to a decent knock. Once he pulled his hand away, he shoved it back into his pocket, and stared down at the cheap wooden flooring.

In only a few seconds, someone came to the door, his bright brown eyes widening in a shocked expression. "Ban! Why are you soaking wet?! Get in here before you get sick!" The man shouted, sounding extremely worried for the other man in front of him, who at that moment resembled a soaked rat more than a human being.

Ban slowly walked through the doorway, slipping his shoes off next to an old rug that said 'welcome' on it. "I'm sorry for intruding you at such an odd hour, Ginji."

The man who lived in the apartment, Ginji, placed a large hand on Ban's shoulder, squeezing for a few seconds before he spoke. "You know you're allowed to come over whenever you want, Ban. Why didn't you bring an umbrella or something? The weather's been horrible all week, and you're soaked!"

The only way Ban knew how to respond was by a simple shaking of his head. He had no words to explain his actions, because he was not sure how he had even ended up at Ginji's in the first place. He stared at the welcoming matt for a few moments, then made his way to the living room, only to stop himself mid step, somehow forgetting for a little that he was soaking wet, and did not want to get Ginji's carpet wet in the process.

Ginji ran to the bathroom, bringing a large towel with him, then began to dry Ban's hair for him. "Are you trying to get yourself sick, Ban?" His voice full of concern as he attempted to dry Ban's hair as fast as he could.

Ban's thin shoulders shrugged in a weak motion. "Not really."

"Then why would you walk all the way over here in the middle of a rain storm without an umbrella, or so much as a jacket?" Ginji's words were flying out of his mouth faster than he could think. Ban always made him worry too much, because he seemed to be too careless about his own well being. It made Ginji a little crazy, because he noticed that Ban would always get on Ginji's case for not doing the same.

Ban did not bother to respond to that question. He was too cold and wet to care about talking, and the only thing he wanted at that moment was to hop into a hot shower and pretend that he had not just done such a stupid thing. He was embarrassed by his actions, but most of all, he felt bad for making Ginji worry about him, again.

After Ginji was satisfied about getting Ban's hair dry from rain water, he allowed Ban to use the shower so he could actually warm up.

Ginji's bathroom was pretty small, even to the point that instead of a regular tub, he had a shower unit in it's place. It was decent though, and Ginji always kept it clean.

Ban told Ginji that he may take a while, then shut the door behind him, beginning to unbutton his soaked shirt. He winced a little bit as he slipped the soaked fabric off, having irritated a sore muscle on his left shoulder. Ban was not even aware that that area hurt until he moved it just then.

Once he was finished peeling off his clothing, wincing at a few more sore spots in the process, he leapt into the shower, having the water heat on a little higher than it probably should have been. He sighed in relief as the hot water slid over his ice cold skin, warming up his body in a matter of a few seconds. The fact that you had to use water, to get over water making you uncomfortable had always fascinated Ban. The whole concept was just a little weird for him, though he appreciated how fast the warm water worked on his low body temperature.

As soon as Ban had finished showering, he slid into some large blue shirt, and thick gray sweats that Ginji let him borrow. They were way too big on him, but Ban was grateful to be in something dry again.

When he arrived in the living room, Ginji approached him with two large cups of hot cocoa, a big goofy smile planted on his face. "So, why did you decide to come over anyway, Ban?" Big brown eyes peaked over his large cup as he took a sip.

Ban shrugged once more, taking a mug from him, then responded. "I don't know. I just felt like it."

Ginji gave Ban a questioning look. "You just _felt _like it? Then why didn't you think it through a bit more?"

"I don't know." Ban repeated once more.

A little frustrated, Ginji let out a sigh and sat down on his warn couch. He patted the cushion beside him, signaling for Ban to sit next to him. Ban did as he was asked, placing his cup on the small table in front of him, elbows rested on his knees, he placed his chin on top of his fists.

Ginji took a few sips of his cocoa before placing it down in front of him, and turning to look at the side of Ban's face. "Is something wrong, Ban? You've been acting a little bit strange."

Ban leapt a little bit at Ginji's comment, but not to the extent of Ginji being able to notice. He bit his lip, then spoke. "Not really."

Ginji leaned in closer to Ban for a second, trying to examine his face, but Ban's hair was covering it, so Ginji gave up, and leaned back onto the couch. He poked his lip out, trying to get Ban to say something more. "Are you sure you're alright? You haven't said much since you arrived."

"You're just saying that, because you talk too much." Ban rolled his eyes, a small smirk finding his lips as he flicked his eyes toward Ginji before staring at the coffee table again.

Ginji smiled a little bit, glad that he had gotten Ban to say _something _that didn't sound like such a generic response. "Maybe you're right." He took a quick sip of his drink. "Hey, Ban! Do you want to watch a movie or something? Since you're here and all."

Ban sat against the back of the couch, folding his arms, and looking over at Ginji from the corner of his eyes. "Sure. I guess so." He placed a little smile on his lips to please Ginji.

"Yay! Because I rented this really cool sounding movie. It has zombies and stuff in it, and I think you'll like it!" Ginji practically shouted as he leapt off of his couch to grab the disc he was speaking of.

Ban actually chuckled a little bit at Ginji's sudden cheerfulness. "Zombies, eh? Sounds like something weird again."

Ginji turned around to face Ban, his cheeks puffing up in a teasingly offended expression. "No, Ban. Not weird. Cool. It's going to be cool."

Ban shook his head, as he listened to Ginji. He was such a goof ball all the time. One second he'd be lecturing Ban about caring for his own health, the next second he'd be excited to watch some b-rated zombie movie. The crazy transition between the two attitudes always amused Ban somehow.

Once Ginji had popped some popcorn, placed the movie in, and turned out the lights, they began to watch the film. It was beginning to be just as Ban had expected it to be, needlessly gory, and had poor acting in it, but Ginji seemed to be enjoying it, which was enough for Ban to be satisfied.

Ginji's apartment had a poor heating system in it, so Ginji had grabbed a blanket from his bedroom and placed it on Ban, afraid of him getting cold again. Ban had tried to convince Ginji that he did not need it, but Ginji would not hear of such a thing, thus, Ban gave in and took it anyway. In the end, Ban was actually grateful for it, because he had began to get cold a little into the film. One of the windows in the apartment had a draft in it because for some reason it would never fully close, so the cold from the outside had leaked inside, causing an unpleasant breeze to blow by occasionally.

About twenty or so minutes into the movie, Ban could not help but notice Ginji rubbing his hands along his forearms from time to time, probably from being cold. Ban knew that Ginji would most likely not admit that he was cold, because he gave Ban the blanket. Because of that, Ban elbowed Ginji in the side lightly, holding out some of the blanket for him.

Ginji shook his head, holding his hands out signaling that he claimed to not need it. Ban knew he had to be lying, he could see the goosebumps raising on his skin. "Ginji, take some of the blanket."

Showing a big smile, Ginji continued to shake his head. "I don't need any Ban, I'm jut fine."

Ban's eyes squinted into a small glare. "Ginj, take some of the blanket, or I'm leaving."

Ginji shook his head a few more times before he finally took hold of some of the blanket, placing it over himself, though, it seemed to only cover on of his legs, because most of it was draped over Ban. They were sitting kind of far apart, so there was a big gap of the blanket that was still remaining unused. Ban was sitting comfortably against the corner of the couch, and did not appear to want to move. He simply stared at Ginji.

Not even taking a second to hesitate, Ginji began to scoot himself closer to Ban, eventually pleasantly huddled next to him, the blanket covering them both nicely.

There was absolutely no space in between them, and Ban was suddenly feeling as if he was being pressed into the couch. "Ginji, move over, you're squishing me."

Ginji did not move, nor did he speak, instead he ate popcorn, and stared at the screen, appearing to have ignored Ban's comment entirely.

"Ginji. Move over, you're squishing me." Ban repeated, voice more serious, beginning to feel strangely awkward.

Ban was not entirely sure, but he thought he saw Ginji shake his head a little bit, not taking his eyes away from the screen even once. Ban bit his lip, moving himself over to the side of the couch a little bit more. He really did not mind Ginji's presence beside him, he was warm, and felt nice against him. No, what Ban was starting to mind was the sudden change in his pulse. His heart was pounding so hard, that it began to echo in his ears.

His heart rate did not want to slow down for some reason, but Ban was so comfortable with where he was at, that he tried his best not to care that it freaked him out. There was no reason for his pulse to have risen so randomly.

The sudden sound of thunder outside startled him Ban, leaping in his chair, forcing him back into reality almost instantly. Ginji remained unaffected by the sound, but he was now facing Ban, with a worried look on his face.

Ban scowled in response. "The thunder just startled me for a moment. Geez. Just watch your movie and stop staring at me." He turned to face the tv, and pretended he was interested in the film.

Ginji didn't say anything, but he poked his lips out again, and forced himself to watch the tv once more.

The rest of the film they had sat there, not making any comments at all. The mood was not necessarily awkward, but it was definitely strange. Ban remained huddled in his corner, sneaking looks over at Ginji occasionally, while Ginji sat next to Ban cautiously, also sneaking looks at him. The two had frequent occasions that happened as that one did, so it was nothing too new or unusual.

For some reason, they always played out the same way. It began with Ban arriving unexpectedly, most often soaked in rain, or out of breath and soaked in sweat. Then Ginji would lecture him about being careless and how he needed to be more careful, then that there was absolutely no need for him to apologize. Then Ban would take a shower, borrow Ginji's clothing, Ginji then asked a few more times on whether or not Ban was alright. Ginji would never get a straight answer from the man, so then he would recommend they watch a movie. Ban would always agree to it, and they'd end up watching the film not speaking a word to each other.

It was a strange routine they had somehow fallen into through out the years of friendship they had. Neither of the two knew why they did it the same way each time, in fact, they probably were not even aware that it happened in the first place.

Once the horrible zombie movie came to an end, Ginji stood up to get the disc out of the player and back into the case. As soon as he put it away, he sat back onto the couch, and studied Ban's expression.

Ban still remained against the corner, staring at the coffee table again. His eyes seemed lifeless as they almost always did, his voice trying so hard to cover up that fact. "I told you that movie was going to be weird."

Ginji laughed lightly. "It wasn't that weird Ban! You just don't know a good movie when you see one."

"Tch. I could say the same to you."

Leaning into Ban a little bit, Ginji said. "No Ban, you can't! That movie was good." His eyes were full of a strange sparkle in them, showing his apparent passion for the odd film.

Ban waved his hand in an up and down motion. "Okay, okay whatever. It was alright. Just get out of my face." Bright blue eyes glared into soft brown ones.

Ginji locked his eyes for a few seconds longer than he should have, then pulled away, smiling a little bit. "That's what I thought." He nodded his head, as if he had somehow won an imaginary battle.

Ban stared at Ginj's face for a moment, trying to take in his silly expression before he looked away to stare behind him and out of the window, watching the rain slip down. The outside appeared to be nothing be fuzzy gray hues.

"Hey Ban..." Ginji spoke suddenly, sounding more serious than a few moments before.

Ban answered a few seconds later after he finished watching a water droplet drizzle down to the bottom of the window. "What Ginji?" He continued to study the rain drops outside.

Ginji fell oddly silent, not sure if he should say what he had planned on saying or not. Ban looked over at him for a moment before placing his focus back on the window behind Ginji. Eventually, Ginji finally said something. "There really _is _something wrong, isn't there?"

Ban's eyes dropped from the window to the floor, then he turned his head to look at his feet. Somehow, he knew Ginji was not going to drop that question that night. The question had been floating in the air since he first asked it. Ban could not find his voice, so he simply shook his head once again, that motion becoming his main means of conversation recently.

The blondie suspected that Ban would do that again, only answering Ginji's question. "Why don't you ever tell me what's wrong? You run over here, always in horrible condition, obviously with something to say, then you give me the silent treatment."

Ban's mouth opened for a moment, almost giving in to Ginji, and spilling everything all at once. He held himself back though, still not entirely comfortable with the idea. "I'm sorry." Those two words were the only words he could seem to get out of his mouth at that moment. They were the only words he could say without feeling like they were covered in a mountain of lies.

Ginji let out a huge sigh, deciding to give up interrogating him for the night. If Ban wanted to tell him what was wrong, he would eventually come out and say it, even if it took years to do so. Ginji knew Ban. He was stubborn, and hard headed, but he would always get something done, or say something. Though he was often times slow at doing so, he was always guaranteed to get to it at some point. Ginji trusted him enough to believe that Ban would trust him to say what was wrong on his own time.

Standing up from the couch, Ginji began putting away the dishes they had brought out earlier that night. For a boy in high school, Ginji was astonishingly clean. "Since it's late, and you don't seem to want to talk, why don't we just call it a night and go to sleep?"

Ban nodded, aware that Ginji could not see him do so, then slowly stood up off the couch. He watched Ginji rinse the dishes and place them in the dishwasher. Ban always found interest in watching Ginji clean for some reason, maybe it was because it was while he was doing that he looked more his age, and less stressed out and older than a seventeen year old should. Dishes were the job of a seventeen year old, and Ban loved to watch Ginji be normal for the few minutes they took.

Ginji looked up at Ban as soon as he placed the last dish in the dishwasher, and closed the door to it, not planning on turning it on till the morning because it was a loud machine. He caught Ban's eyes. "What?"

Ban blinked a few times, breaking eye contact. "Nothing, just spacing out I guess." He turned around, blanket wrapped around his arms, and headed toward Ginji's bedroom.

Ban took no time to quickly leap onto Ginji's small bed, huddling under the blanket he had carried back into the bedroom. He curled his knees up to his chest, eyes remaining open as he waited for Ginji to turn off the lights and hop in as well.

A small click could be heard as the lights flickered off, and the door closed behind Ginji slowly waltzing through the room, as to not trip on the floor boards. The edge of the bed dipped down as Ginji laid down on it, facing the opposite direction as Ban, curling into his pillow.

"Good night Ban." Ginji whispered, as they both shut their eyes in an attempt to sleep.

Ban stared at the wall after his eyes had slid back open, and he could not seem to remain comfortable. He was never one to wiggle while sleeping, but he just could not find the correct position. He flipped over to his other side, facing Ginji's back, slinking against the wall as to not break the unspoken touch barrier. However, Ginji, who appeared to be dozing off, moved himself back and closer into Ban's area, forcing Ban to huddle against Ginj's muscly back. Ban was not sure what to do with his legs, until Ginji moved his legs to the point that Ban had no choice _but _to maneuver his own in between Ginji's knees. Ban's head eventually found a comfortable spot, the back of his hands against Ginji's back, palms towards his own face.

The areas they were touching felt warm and tingly, forcing Ban to relax a little bit. Soon, he found himself completely wrapped around the back of Ginji, though it was unintentional, and just a movement for comfort. His arms were wrapped around Ginjis waste, head resting against Ginj's back, and his legs twisted with Ginji's. His heart beat had began to thump against his chest against his own will, but he was far too tired to care.

As Ban began to doze off, a spot on his cheek began to itch, so he brought his finger up to his face only to feel a wet spot forming along his skin. He had not realized he had been crying to that moment. Only after the realization did the small tears grow into sobbing against Ginji's back, as Ban found himself gripping Ginji as hard as he could for some form of comfort.

Salty tears stained Ginji's perfectly white shirt.

**XXX**

Okay. So I know you are all probably super confused with this.

And that's good. That's what I want you to be like.

Questions will eventually be answered, that is, if you decide to continue reading this to my future chapters.

Yeah. I'm pretty mean, but you're just going to have to deal with it.

I hope you enjoyed my angst. The angst will consume your soul.

You're probably wondering how I can manage to write angst, when according to my stupid Author's Notes I am clearly a psycho. Well get over it, and deal with reality.

Ha ha.

ANYWAY.

Hope you enjoyed my first chapter of this.

*Inazuma=Translates to Lightning in Japanese.

Til next time...

~AkemiKae~


	2. Swimming in Syrup, and Swaying on Swings

Yay for another chapter already. I don't know how I managed to throw this one out so quickly. I hope you enjoy it. :3**  
**

**XXX**

**Broken Like Me**

_Chapter Two_

_Swimming in Syrup, and Swaying on Swings..._

**XXX**

Ban awoke from the sudden movement beside him. His eyes did not want to open, but he could tell from the lack of weight, that Ginji had gotten up and out of bed. Usually, Ban would follow suit, but he was way too warn out, deciding to let himself relax back into the bed again to try and get a little more sleep.

His eyes felt swollen, and his cheeks were sticky from old tears. Ban was not sure how long it had taken him to fall asleep, nor how long he had been crying. He did not want to think about, he just wanted to pretend that it had never happened to begin with. His slender hand slipped underneath the pillow, bringing it toward his face. He then grumbled loudly into the plush cotton. There was no way he was going to fall back asleep, he was already awake and his mind could not rest any longer.

Grumbling a few more times before even attempting to open his eyes, he tossed the pillow away from his face. He blinked his eyes to life, ignoring the major stinging they had from the tears before. That sensation made him feel even more like an idiot than he had before.

As he rolled over to get off the bed, he held in a moan of instant pain. The soreness he had felt yesterday had only gotten worse, and all Ban wanted to do was go back to sleep, but knew that at that point it was not much of an option. Ban sucked at sleeping. He was always far too stressed out to sleep for long hours of the night, and he was constantly on edge when he managed to fall asleep. Sleeping at Ginji's place helped him a little bit though. By all means, he did not get the amount of sleep that he needed, but he at least got a few more hours than usual, which he was grateful for.

Ban could hear loud clanking appearing to come from the direction of the small kitchen. Ginji was probably trying to make some type of breakfast as he always did whenever Ban stayed the night. While it was a sweet notion, Ginji was never much of a cook, and the food he made would either be burnt or under cooked.

Rubbing sleepiness from his fat eyes, Ban walked over to the kitchen. "Are you really going to try and cook again?" His voice was still groggy from having just woken up.

Ginji turned to face Ban, showing off a large smile. "Of course I am! I have to cook you something special, since you're my guest!"

Ban rolled his eyes and leaned against the counter, folding his arms. "I'm over here most of the week, how can you still consider me a guest? I practically live here." He opened his eyes to stare down Ginji, who was fumbling with some pans.

"Because! You're my special friend, and I want to give you food."

Ginji would always spout nonsense, especially toward Ban, and _especially_ at early hours in the morning. Had it been anyone else, Ban would have just up and left, but Ginji was different, and somehow, Ban could tolerate it. Even if it was just by a little. "Shut up. You're loud voice irritates me in the morning." Ban picked up a spoon that was laying on the counter behind him, tossing it directly at Ginji's face, smacking him on the nose.

Covering his nose, Ginji shouted about the, apparently life threatening, pain. "Hey! Don't throw things at me Ban! I'm just trying to be nice to you."

Ban let out a short, sarcastic laugh. "How? By killing me with your burnt food? I think I'll pass today, Ginji."

Ginji's face distorted into what appeared to be offended. He spiraled around toward the stove again, tossing a pan onto the burner. "You just watch Ban! I'll actually make you something this time, and it won't even be burnt!"

Ban headed back to the living room, slumping lazily onto the couch, his legs crossed. "Whatever you say. I'll believe it when I see it." He shook his head and watched Ginji from his peripheral vision.

Ginji was working as hard as he possibly could from the looks of it. Flour was all over his face, and he had gone through at least five different cooking utensils till he had found one that worked for what he needed. It was a spatula, if that said anything about how much he knew about cooking. He did not even know that it did not need a spoon to make pancakes.

It was amusing to watch, though. Ban found himself smiling at Ginji's antics, despite himself.

...

Throughout watching Ginji struggle in the kitchen, Ban had somehow dozed off on the couch. His leg was draped over the back of the couch, arm limp over the side, and the couch pillow pressed against the arm like it was attempting suicide by Ban's head.

He was awoken by Ginji poking him in the cheek multiple times. Ban swatted at his hand each time he did it,but it had no affect on Ginji, forcing Ban to wake up from his unexpected nap. "You're so annoying!"

Ignoring Ban's comment, Ginji shoved a plate into his face. "See! I told you I could cook today!"

The plate was covered in a few pancakes, smothered in syrup. To Ban's surprise, they did not seem to be burnt , though with pancakes, they could easily be undercooked. "Give me the plate."

Ban forced himself to sit up after he threw his leg back over the couch, acting as a good leverage to actually get up to a sit. Ginji excitedly handed him the plate, and stared at him with big puppy dog eyes, awaiting Ban's opinion. "Eat it! Eat it!"

Ban waved his hands at Ginji before he took the fork and cautiously ate some of the pancake. His eyes went wide at the taste. They did not taste burnt for one, but more surprisingly, they tasted good. They actually tasted good. "Hey, Ginji. I think you actually cooked something for once!"

Ginji hopped back from Ban and leapt up and down, a huge smile along his face. "Are you serious Ban? You're not lying are you?!" He placed his hands upon his hips, staring Ban straight in the eyes, trying to figure it out for himself.

"I'm not. Though, maybe you should hold back on the syrup a little bit next time." He smirked up at Ginji, then glanced down at the plate that was more syrup than it was pancakes. Ginji certainly did like his food to be sweet from the looks of it, but Ban was not nearly as fond of the idea of eating liquid sugar. Not to that extent, anyhow.

Ginji plopped onto the cushion next to Ban, watching him eat another bite. "I'm glad you like it, though. You know what Ban?"

Ban swallowed what he bit off,licking the syrup off of his lips, then looked over at Ginji. His blond hair was still messy from having just woken up, causing Ban to hold back an unusual smile before he spoke. "What?"

Ginji's mouth opened, like he was going to say something, then snapped his mouth shut, looking over at Ban with a big fake smile on his face. "Nevermind. It wasn't important."

Ban stared Ginji down for a few moments before he sighed and picked up his fork again. His brows furrowed in irritation, and he had to hold back the urge to suddenly smack Ginji in the head for no reason. He hated it when Ginji would try to mention something, then try to act as if it were not important, thinking that meant he did not have to state it. It caused Ban to worry, because Ginji only ever did that if it _were _important.

They ate the rest of the pancakes, even though Ban did not like the amount of syrup that Ginji had managed to lather around each and every one of them. He ate them nonetheless, because Ginji _did _make them for him. Each bite was too sickeningly sweet for Ban, but he could taste the effort that Ginji had tossed into them, causing his heart to dance happily at the fact that Ginji would go through such lengths for him. Sure, making pancakes was not a big deal for most people, but for Ginji to have made them by himself and not even burning them, was like a miracle.

By the time they had cleaned up their plates and Ginji started the dishwasher, it was barely ten or so in the morning. It was a Sunday, so neither of them had school.

The sky outside was still pretty dark and gloomy looking, but it was not raining for a change. Ginji cracked open a window to let a little fresh air sneak in while he had the small opportunity of not risking anything to get wet. A slight chill hit Ginji at first,but it was welcomed, and made the tiny apartment seem less stuffy. The smell of wet concrete and dewy grass quickly rushed through the window, making Ginji smile at the scent of it.

Sensing someone behind him, Ginji shot around to see Ban with a strange expression on his face. Something about it had Ginji stuttering. "B-Ban! Wh-what are you doing behind m-me? You scared me a little bit." That last part was a lie. He had not startled him at all, it was just the weird face that Ban was giving him that had him all bothered.

Ban's bright blue eyes seemed cold and distant,but his face was trying to say something else, hiding behind that small smirk he always held on his face. His eyes were glossed over, probably from the tears the night before and the lack of sleep. His eyelids were still puffy, and had an odd dark hue surrounding them, causing Ban's already pale skin to look even more so. Ban looked like he was half dead, and that scared Ginji to no avail.

Granted,he had not really ever seen Ban in a different state, but oh, the things he would be willing to sacrifice to see Ban differently. He always seemed so...lifeless, to say it simply. Ginji could always see the lies behind Ban's bright smile that he occasionally had. The smiles were very rarely genuine, and the times they had been were some of Ginji's favorite moments with him.

Ban let out a small huff of a laugh. "You don't have to be so surprised that I'm behind you. You're place is freaking small, there's not many places for me to be." The corner of his lips curled up, slightly amused.

Ginji caught glance of Ban's eyes once more, suddenly locking on to them, feeling odd emotions poor through him. He had always thought that Ban's eyes were beautiful, and in a strange way, the coldness that they held, made them even more so. But maybe that was just Ginji's positive thinking talking to him again.

"...I guess you're right. A-anyway..." He could not seem to finish that sentence with anything logical. All of Ginji's thoughts seemed to melt away the second they had locked eyes. The situation grew slightly awkward, but not uncomfortable.

Ban seemed to be studying Ginji's face, causing him to grow a little embarrassed. Whenever Ban really looked at something, he had a strong aura to him that could instantly cause Ginji to lose his breath.

Slipping a cigarette toward his mouth, Ban shattered the strange situation, having closed his eyes and breaking contact with Ginji's giant brown orbs. Ban got his lighter out, and walked passed Ginji so he could lean outside of the window. As he lit his cigarette and let out a long smoke filled sigh, Ginji snuck up beside him, leaning against the window ceil.

"How do you keep getting those, Ban?" Ginji asked softly, looking at the side of Ban's face. His light skin appeared to be glowing in the little sunshine that managed to peak through the thick skies. Ban's hair draped lazily in front of his face, twinkling in the light.

Taking a quick drag, Ban looked straight ahead, answering Ginji in a small voice. "Tch, my dad doesn't give a fuck, so I take them from him."

Ginji twitched slightly at the sudden harsh language from his friend. He sighed and stared at the floor beneath his feet.

A small breeze blew by, causing Ban's hair to swirl out of his face for a moment, then fall back in front of it. Ban took another slow breath of his cigarette, closing his eyes as he did so. The nicotine calmed down his nerves slightly, allowing him to actually relax a little bit.

Ginji tilted his head to watch Ban again, focusing on his closed eyes. The blackness that surrounded each of them made Ginji's heart ache. Without thinking about it, he turned toward Ban more, lifting a hand toward his face, a slim finger lightly brushing against Ban's eyelid.

Ban's eyes shot open at the sensation, causing Ginji to yank away instantly, switching his view toward the couch. "Sorry." Was all Ginji managed to mumble.

Ban did not feel the need to respond verbally, he just smacked Ginji in the back of the head, staring at him for a few seconds before he stared blankly outside again. His eyelids still tingled from Ginji's touch a few moments before.

Ginji decided to get away from the window, proceeding to sit on the couch, watching Ban's back.

Having finished his cigarette, Ban pressed the butt onto the window ceil as he always did, then tossed it outside. It may not had been the kindest thing he did, but it had somehow became a habit, and Ginji never formed a complaint about it. The area he dropped it into was just an old alley way anyhow.

The old apartment was once again filled with silence, both of them unsure of what to say. Ban turned from looking outside the window, to leaning on the seal, and facing inside, watching Ginji. Ban's arms were folded, and he rubbed a sore spot on his left elbow, wincing for a moment before he pulled his fingers away from it.

Ban twisted some of the hair that was laying in front of his ear as he stared at the side of Ginji's face. He appeared to be either spacing out, or in deep thought, though Ban suspected it was the latter of the two, which was not good. Ginji always over thought things, and over complicated how to solve any of them. Often times, it would result in Ginji freaking out over whatever it was and literally crying in Ban's arms. Ban was never sure how it most always resulted in such a crazy scenario, but it did, no matter how hard Ban tried to keep it from happening in the first place.

"_Ban, I think that Kazuki and Juubei are angry with me, and I don't know why." _

_Ban scoffed a little at the thought of the two mentioned. They were probably just too busy being the surprisingly high end jerks they naturally were, somehow, Ginji never managed to see that in them. _

_Shaking his head a little bit, Ban responded to Ginji. "I doubt it, you're just thinking too much. As always." _

"_But Ban!" Ginji leapt over toward him, latching his hands on to both of Ban's muscly arms. "They haven't spoken to me in about two weeks, and I don't know what I did!" _

_Trying to hold back the urge to roll his bright blue eyes, Ban sighed then looked up at Ginji, as reassuring as he possibly could. "They are not mad at you, stupid." _

_Ginji poked his lip out and gave Ban his puppy dog eyes that were filling with tears. "Then why aren't they talking to me! I don't understand, I thought I was friends with them..." _

_Once again, Ban found himself trying not to roll his eyes, though he did not manage to succeed this time, resulting in an exaggerated tilt of his head as his eyes rolled. "You really..." Ban found himself smirking. ", don't pay attention, do you?"_

_Ginji wiped his cheek before saying anything. "Huh? I don't pay attention to what?"_

"_Ginji...Kazuki and Juubei are.." _

Ban shook his head, throwing him back into reality. Out of all the random flash backs he could have had, he had one about Kazuki and Juubei upsetting Ginji. Ban had no idea why he had had a flash back that involved Ban explaining to Ginji about Kazuki and Juubei's...situation.

A lump was crawling up Ban's throat, as his mind was still focusing on the strange memory from a few months back. He did not even _like _Kazuki or Juubei. It must had been because Ginji was involved that he even bothered to remember it in such vivid detail.

"Ban."

Ban's head flew up to where Ginji sat on the couch, heart succeeding in attacking his throat. He had almost forgotten Ginji was even there, somehow. He shook his head once more, his dark brown hair swishing over his face. "What, Ginj?"

Ginji sat silent again, simply staring at the table in front of him. This also got Ban worried, as Ginji nearly always responded instantly. Something _had _to be wrong with him that day. He was being _far _too quiet. Far too _calm._ "How have you been recently?"

Ban's brows furrowed in confusion. How had he been? Not only was that question exceedingly random at that point, but it seemed to be a little more than obvious on how Ban had _been. _He arrived at Ginji's doorstep _soaking wet _for christ's sake. Even so, Ban decided to give Ginji an answer of some sort. "Huh? How've I been? Alright, I guess...why do you ask?"

Ban crossed his legs while still leaning against the window ceil, his eyes facing the ground now, hair covering his face.

"You've been alright? That's good to hear then." Ginji's voice was covered in fake relief as his lips had taken the shape of a false smile in order to calm him down some.

Sighing a little bit, Ban pushed himself off of the wall, and toward the living room to sit beside Ginji on the couch. He instantly crossed his legs the moment he made contact with the cushion, his knee colliding with Ginji's, though he felt no need to move it. He folded his arms once more, then looked at Ginji with one eye closed. "Yeah. So how about you then?"

"I've been good. I managed to get my land lord off of my back for a little bit about the bills being late, because I only get paid once a month, and the dates change sometimes, causing me to be late. I think I finally got him to understand though, even if just a little bit. He's actually really nice, just seems to like his money a lot." Ginji chuckled a little bit at the last comment.

Ban smiled slightly at Ginji's sudden talkativeness. "Well that's good. I was getting sick of hearing you whine about it."

Ginji glared over at Ban. "Hey! I have a reason to whine! That's a big deal, Ban!"

"I know, Ginj." Ban laughed lightly, turning to face Ginji.

The mood had returned to normal, allowing Ban to stop feeling minor anxiety over it. Normally, he loved silence, but around Ginji, he generally loathed it, because it resulted in them both thinking. And them both thinking only caused them to get depressed or angry.

...

Later that same day, Ban and Ginji had decided to go walking around the city as they usually did when they had some time to do it. They never went out with a destination or plan in mind, they just both seemed to enjoy walking. It was calming and strangely the only time they could be not talking without resulting in bad thoughts. Most of the time anyway.

The town was bustling with people getting to various places, some of them seeming more at ease than others. The bad weather had finally decided to take a small break, and allowed some actual sunlight to peak through. Though, the skies still had clouds, they were no where near as thick as they had been for several days before. It was a nice and welcomed change, having greatly improved both their moods.

They were walking next to a tall building that appeared to be offices of some sort, as Ginji suddenly stopped walking.

Ban continued forward for a few seconds, used to Ginji stopping to look at something here and again, but then stopped and turned around when he noticed Ginji seemed to have no intention to keep going. "What are you doing Ginji?" Ban asked, a slightly irritated tone in his voice.

Ginji was shuffling his feet awkwardly, staring down at the sidewalk. "Nothing really, Ban."

Shoving his hand through his hair as he often did when aggravated, Ban sighed loudly. "Not nothing, stupid, there's something. Stop being dumb and say what's on your mind for once today." He walked to stand beside Ginji, shoved his hands in his pockets, then leaned down to look at Ginji's face. "You're being strange."

Ginji looked up for a second, hitting Ban's eyes then quickly pulling away. "Am I?" His voice was a little shaky. "I don't think I'm being weird."

"Yes. You're being incredibly weird." Ban whacked Ginji across the back of the head, then backed away to a full stance again. "Now talk, or I'll be going home now."

Hand shooting up toward his head, Ginji looked at Ban with a guilty look on his face. "Fine! I'll talk, I'll talk." He shouted energetically. "I just, I've been worried about you."

Ban squinted his eyes at Ginji's comment. "Worried about _me?" _His tone was heavy with confusion.

Ginji's hands balled into fists as he made eye contact with Ban. "Yes! Worried about _you, _Ban!" His voice raised into a full yell. "You-you arrived at my house last night _soaking wet_! Then, even later last night you were crying, Ban. _Crying!_ There's no way you would ever cry if there_ wasn't _a reason for me to be worried! Stupid Ban!" Ginji's big brown eyes were filling with salty tears as he finished explaining a little bit to his friend, violently turning to not have to face him anymore.

Ban held his hands out to Ginji, though they ended up just falling down to his sides and back in his pockets. He did not know what to say. Ban _knew _that Ginji was aware that he had cried the night before, but he did not expect him to actually confront him about it. Ginji had only done that _once_ and that was from the first time he cried.

Ban's eyes trailed the sidewalks, finding interest in an invading crack for a few seconds before lifting his head up once more, nodding his hair out of his face. "I don't know if I can explain it, Ginji." His vibrant blue eyes whisked over Ginji's blond hair before landing on the window of the building they were beside, focusing on a random sign in it.

Ginji glared at Ban, before his expression cooled down to his typical worried expression. He looked up at Ban. "You can try to." His voice was much calmer and recollected than a few moments before.

Ban shook his head lightly, turning to stare at Ginji again. "I can't, Ginji."

"Why not?" Ginji's face distorted from worried to sad. "Why can't you tell me? I'm you're best friend, aren't I?"

Ban cringed at his words, making it all the more difficult to not speak up. "That's... why I can't tell you." He turned to look over at him.

Ginji locked his eyes with Ban's, trying to figure him out, but failing miserably. He smiled at Ban, trying to make him feel better. "That's...confusing, but I guess I can stop asking you for a little while, at least."

"Sorry." Was all Ban had left to say to that.

Ginji smiled more genuinely, then took Ban's right arm into his hand, pulling him up to a run. Ban tried to pull away at first, but then gave into it, finding himself smiling a little bit at the sudden, well needed, playfulness. They scurried through the streets, dodging people, bikes, and vehicles as Ginji continued to randomly make turns on to strange streets. It never occurred to Ban to ask where they were headed.

Eventually, Ginji stopped running, allowing both of them to come to a full stop to catch their breath. Ban was hunched over, catching his breath for a little bit before he lifted his head to take in where they were. They had arrived at a park, with a few swings near a playground for little children, though strangely, no one was there.

"A park?" Ban asked, slight sarcasm slithered through his tone.

Ginji threw his arms into the sky happily. "Yeah! A park! I figured the weather was nice enough that we should go to a park!" He smiled and looked over at Ban, wide eyed.

Ban scratched his head a little bit, then pushed up his small purple shades. "Tch, you're such a little kid Ginji."

"I am not a little kid, Ban! I just like parks!" Ginji shouted over at him, then made his way toward the swing set.

Ban found himself follow suit, taking a seat on one of the swings, lazily swaying on it. Ginji was on the swing next to him, already going as high as it possibly could go. He was chuckling and swinging his legs like a crazy person, causing Ban's lips to spread into a well anticipated smile.

Ginji continued to swing himself as high as he could, yelling down at Ban. "This is fun! You should go this high too!"

Ban made a strange noise signaling as his typical no. He was completely content in gently swaying near the ground, but he enjoyed watching Ginji be energetic.

As soon as Ginji got as high as he could, and as much momentum as humanly possibly on a man powered swing, he leapt off at full height, coming to a rough landing in the sand, somehow managing to stay on his feet. He swiveled around on his heel to face Ban swinging softly. A large smile planted on Ginji's face, he swiftly waltzed toward Ban, causing him to stop swaying in order not to hit him.

Ban rose an eyebrow at him. "What?"

Ginji simply smiled at him, his head at a slight tilt. "Nothing." He studied Ban's face for a moment,appearing to want to say something but not doing so, before he twirled around and ran to the playground.

Ban swung a few more times before leaping off and casually walking to the playground as well. He watched as Ginji leapt over the obstacles and run over the little bridge in the center. He really was just an over grown child sometimes.

Ban sat on the steps that lead to the rest of the playground, his head being held by his hands. He flicked a cigarette out, promptly lighting it and sliding it onto his lips. He took a quick drag, then spaced out toward the rest of the park.

He heard Ginji walking up from behind him, then sit down beside him. Ban inhaled some more smoke before Ginji spoke up. "Hey, Ban."

Ban turned his head to face Ginji. "Yeah..."

Ginji bit his lip for a moment, eyes jittering to look anywhere but Ban's face till they landed on his beautiful blue eyes. Showing no other signs of hesitation, Ginji leaned in and gave Ban a quick peck on the lips, then quickly shot up to walk away from him.

Ban suddenly felt like he was going to pass out, and breathing was not an easy eyes were as wide as they could go,his heart was in his throat, and his cigarette fell to the ground.

**XXX**

Yay! Cliff hanger, just for you. Muahahah.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to throw some more angst in there for you, and a little bit of cute. Can't have Ban and Ginji without occasional cute.

I know the ending probably seemed really weird and rushed, but it's supposed to. I hope you get what I'm saying...=_=; Because I'm tired.

So uh, anyway. There's your second chapter for you. I'm writing this pretty late at night, and I'm really tired, so expect some updates later. I can't think clear enough to do that at the moment.

I hope I didn't bore you to death with the lack of them doing anything.

I have intense plans for the next chapter, so look forward to it. I'll do as best I can to update as quickly as possible! Thank you for reading!

~Till Next Time...

~AkemiKae~


	3. Broken Spirit and Racing Hearts

Bring on chapter three! I don't want to say much up here, so just read and enjoy. :3

**xxx**

**Broken Like Me**

_Chapter Three_

_Broken Spirit and Racing Hearts_

**XXX**

The sky was a bright blue, a major contrast to the way it had been for days before. It was refreshing, and it allowed true sunlight and warmth to spill over Ginji's dark skin.

Ginji was sprawled on the rooftop of his school, staring at the sky, lost in his own thoughts. His mind was cloudy, and he could not get himself to quit sighing. A bird flew into his vision, his bright brown eyes following it till he could no longer see it.

Ginji heard the door open, then a voice right after. "What are you doing up here all by yourself? Where's your friend?" A friendly voice spoke toward Ginji,who appeard to be a lump piled on the roof.

Ginji pushed himself up to his elbows, then looked over to see who had talked to him a few moments before. The person had long brown hair, pulled back in an odd ponytail. A loose white shirt was draped over feminine shoulders. "He's...not here today. Why are you up here, Kazuki?"

Kazuki allowed himself to shrug, then walked toward Ginji. "I figured you would be up here. You always are, but you generally have Midou with you." He looked at Ginji, slight concern welling in his eyes, but for Ginji. "Why isn't he here?"

Ginji turned away from Kazuki, focusing on the fence. "I don't know. He didn't tell me why." His voice was unusually quiet and seemed a little bit off somehow.

Kazuki knelt down to a sit beside Ginji, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Ginji continued to study the fence, not even slightly moving to Kazuki's touch. "I'm fine, Kazu-chan."

It was an obvious lie, and Kazuki could tell. Not only was Ginji being strangely quiet, he also had not attacked him with a hug as he usually did. An instant sign that _something _was wrong. "You can tell me, you know."

"Tell you what?"

"What's wrong. I won't judge you for whatever it is." Kazuki said, his voice trying to be as honest as he could sound.

Ginji knew that Kazuki would never say anything bad to Ginji about something that was truly bothering him, and he could trust him. He just did not know how to say what was wrong with him. It was too embarrassing. "It's really nothing, Kazu-chan. I'm probably just lonely cause Ban-chan isn't here." That most certainly was not a lie.

Kazuki pulled his hand away from Ginji, sighing a little bit. "You two have been attached since you've met."

Ginji let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I guess so. I just haven't seen him in about four days, and he hasn't said anything to me. I guess I'm just a little concerned is all." More like worried sick. When Ban was not at school for days straight, it was never a good thing.

Kazuki let out a tiny sigh, standing up and brushing the dirt off of his slacks. He looked down at Ginji, who's expression was that of a small child about to cry. "Maybe you should go and visit him after school today?"

Ginji looked up at Kazuki, with bright brown eyes. "I can't." He turned to look down at the concrete once more.

"Why not?" Kazuki rose a slim brow, not seeming to understand what Ginji was saying.

Ginji wrapped his arms around his knees, speaking into his legs a little bit. "Ban doesn't like it when I go over to his place for some reason." He poked his lips out, letting out what had to be the thousandth sigh of the day.

Kazuki stood, staring at Ginji for a long while in pure silence. The sound of someone yelling in the courtyard below broke the silence, so Kazuki spoke. "How odd. I apologize for my nosiness, but do you happen to know why?"

Ginji yanked his head out of his knees, raising his voice at Kazuki. "I said for _some _reason, Kazuki. I don't know, okay?" His hands were clamping together so tightly to the point they turned white.

Ginji was frustrated, and angry, and confused. Normally he would not mind Kazuki being around him, but for some reason, he just did not want anyone around _except _for Ban, who was no where to be found. He wanted to punch something. Ginji wanted to punch _someone. _It was so unlike him to have the urge to do so, but the anxiety and panic that was forming in his stomach from Ban's absence was starting to do crazy things to him.

It had only been four days, but to Ginji, it felt like a year had gone by. He was unbelievably dependent on Ban. He did _everything _with him. It was hard for him to do anything without him by his side. At times, even breathing was difficult to do.

Ginji wanted to see Ban again. He _needed_ to see him. It was crazy, how insane his withdrawals would get without him near. It was like a part of him was gone.

Ginji shook his head, shaking his loose blond spikes. He was being stupid. It _was _only four days after all. Only four.

An image of Ban soaking wet, and standing on his doorstep flashed through his mind in an instant. Ban appeared so...broken a few days ago. He seemed so helpless. So...desperate for something.

Only four days.

Suddenly Ginji let out a loud scream, his hands ruffling through his hair violently as he leapt up and ran through the door back into the school. Kazuki remained on the roof, a miniscule smirk upon his face.

Ginji gave in. It was final. He _had _to go and check on Ban, and the inconvenience of school and Ban's request to never go to his home were no longer relevant. Ginji skipped every other step to get down to the first floor and out of the school. He did not care that he would get marked absent for his last few classes, it was not like he never sluffed to begin with.

His heart was pounding out of his chest as he finally reached the front door of the school. He saw one of his friends, Shido, watch him and heard a faint voice calling to him, but Ginji refused to stop. He was going to see Ban that day, even if it killed him.

Ginji's heart hurt. His head hurt, and his body hurt, and...he just needed to get to Ban's house faster. He got off campus eventually, and took a quick right. His legs were beginning to burn, but it was alright, he could handle the minor pain. Trees and people wooshed by him in a long blur. His breathing was fast and heavy.

After reaching a spot somewhere deep in the city, Ginji finally stopped to catch his breath. He was pretty fit, but all of his panic was causing him to breath strangely and tire faster than usual. As soon as he could breath again, he looked up to capture his surroundings. Tall buildings and busy streets surrounded him.

He knew he was in Shinjuku...but he did not exactly know...where.

Ginji threw his hands up in the air. "Aaaaw craaaaap!" His voice was loud and desperate, and had that usual playful tone he usually held, but with a side hint of worry. "Where am I?" He slumped his shoulders, and looked around spastically, not recognizing the area. "Aw, if Ban were here he'd know where to go..."

He pouted as he began to walk across the street anyway, just letting his feet take him wherever. Sometimes they knew where he was going, while his mind really just did not. Ginji was the worst when it came to directions, and he had only been to Ban's house once or twice. It was no wonder why he had gotten lost.

Ginji mumbled to himself as he walked aimlessly through the streets. "Aw, man. I have no idea where I am." He lifted his head to look at the sky. The sun was still up pretty high, so he must had not been out for too long. It still did not help the fact that he had no idea where he was, though. "Baaaan. I don't remember where you live." He poked his lip out, and made strange noises as he passed by a large building.

When he lifted his head up once more, he noticed a few houses. A neighborhood. Ginji's feet began to move at the speed of lightning. Houses were a good sign. The place did not look super familiar to him, but there were houses. He had to be getting close.

Ginji glanced at each house that he passed by. They were not incredibly nice houses, but they certainly were not bad. They sat somewhere in the middle, a lot of them with decently kept lawns, and the occasional garden. It seemed homely enough.

He spotted an old lady doing some gardening and decided to call out to her and see if she knew anything. "Heeey! Hey! Granny!" Ginji trotted over toward her lawn, stopping on the side walk, waving excitedly, with a worried look on his face.

The lady turned slowly to see who had been shouting toward her, a gentle smile on her face. She placed her shovel down, and walked over to Ginji. Hands behind her back, she spoke to him in a quiet voice. "What is it young man?"

"My friend! I don't remember where he lives!" Ginji began hopping up and down. "I need to find him. Do you know someone named Ban around here?! He's about this tall," Ginji held his hand up to the side representing his height. ", and he has dark brown hair that is over his eyes. He sometimes wears bright purple shades that are rounded like this..." He cupped his hands around his eyes, making circles. "So have you seen him? Have you?"

The old lady stared intently at Ginji, trying to take in all the information at once. She chuckled lightly before she spoke. "Ban? What an unusual name your friend has. I don't know about the name...but I have seen a boy that seems like how you described your friend." She smiled a squinty smile.

Ginji's eyes went wide. "Really?!" He leapt up and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Do you know where you saw him? Around here? In this neighborhood? Which house? Do you know? Do you know Ma'am?"

She shook her head lightly. "I'm afraid I'm not sure which house, but I know that I have seen a boy like that around here sometimes."

Ginji's head dropped, and he let his hands slide off her fragile shoulders. "Oh." He smiled up at her a little bit, before turning around to look around the place some more. "Thank you anyways Granny!"

She waved lightly toward Ginji before shaking her head and smirking. "Kids sure do have a lot of energy..." She laughed as she picked up her shovel to get back to gardening.

Ginji let himself smile slightly. The lady did not know where Ban lived, but at least Ginji knew he was in the right area then. He sighed as he observed the houses nearby. Ban just had to be in _one _of them.

Most of the houses had no cars in the driveway, or had people on the lawn that Ginji did not recognize. He had looked through the neighborhood for a good thirty minutes since he had talked with the old lady, and he still was not sure which house could possibly be Ban's.

Growing tired, Ginji sat down on a curb, staring at his feet. He felt a bit defeated. He had tried as best he could so far to find Ban, but he just could not manage it. Ginji grumbled and crunched his hands together tightly against his knees. He was frustrated with himself and how he could not do something as simple as finding his _best _friend's house. Sure, he had only been there a few times, but he should at least be able to remember what it looked like.

"Maybe Ban is mad at me..." Ginji found himself talking to no one. "...or maybe I freaked him out a few days ago." His fingers traced his lips as they tingled in foolish remembrance. "I'm so stupid." He sighed once again, slumping over to lean his head on his legs, staring straight toward the gutter.

A few minutes passed with Ginji staying like that. He stood up eventually, and intended to look around some more, but was stopped cold with a loud shout nearby. It was too muddled for him to understand, but it was definitely an angry shout.

Not entirely sure why, Ginji began to run toward the shouting. His heart began pounding with anxiety once more. He ended up stopping in front of a slightly more worn down houses than the ones he had been looking at before. A slim woman was standing in the door, hands on her hips, and leaning over. She had light brown hair that flowed down her back like a calm river. A sight quite drastically opposite of what Ginji was hearing.

"Get out of my fucking house!" The voice seemed to belong to the woman in the door, as she had moved in a way that one would while yelling. "Get out now!" Ginji watched as she slammed her foot, in what had to be painful force, into the floor.

A sudden sound of glass breaking caused Ginji to jump and back away from the situation a bit. A strange sensation of fear began to crawl up his spine.

The screaming continued. "Listen to your mother, damn it! I didn't raise you to be so damn disrespectful! Now get the fuck out of my house, you piece of shit!" The voice was loud and booming, and probably more angry than it should had been. Ginji found himself begin to shake.

"Get outta my way then!" Ginji froze at the sound of that voice. The strange high pitch and stubbornness were extremely familiar. "If you want me out so bad, then move."

The deep loud voice began shouting again. "That is exactly why I want you to leave! That is no way to speak to her." Ginji had the sudden urge to turn around, and pretend he had never been there.

The familiar voice spoke once again, not nearly as loud as the other two, but still a good volume. "Move." Silence ensued for a brief moment before the same voice spoke with more intensity. "I said _move!" _

The slim woman in the door was violently pushed aside by someone, and it was exactly that someone that had caused Ginji to let out a small whimper he tried so hard to hold back. "B-Ban?"

Ginji was officially shaking then. He could not stop it, his body was doing it on its own. "Ban? Is-is that-why are you-what's going-" Ginji stuttered out of utter shock. He could not even slightly comprehend what had just happened in front of him. Ban did _not _just come out of that house. Ginji refused to believe it.

A tall man walked through the door, leaning to help his wife off of the ground. He lifted his head, piercing Ginji with his bright blue eyes. Something about the look was absolutely horrifying, causing Ginji's head to start spinning.

Ban was standing in the center of the lawn, hands braced into tight shaking fists at his side. There were dark marks all along his left arm, and his lip was bleeding. He focused on the concrete below Ginji's feet, and licked the blood from his lower lip.

Ginji's eyes went as wide as humanly possible at the sight. He had seen Ban bad, but never had he seen him _that _bad. Ever. Ginji's feet could not move, he was frozen stiff, too shocked to even think properly.

The tall man broke the silence. "Who the hell are you?"

Ginji actually shrunk down a bit at the man's voice. He looked over at Ban, then toward the man again, answering hesitantly. "Uh-um...My name is Ginji. I'm Ban's...friend."

The man actually scoffed at Ginji's response. Scoffed. "Friend? How could that low life of a son have friends?"

Son.

Ginji was stuck on that word. Did that man really just refer to Ban as his son? As in..that man was...that man was-No! There was no way in hell.

Ginji looked over at Ban again, who was still in the same position he was earlier, only more blood had fallen over his chin, and dripped on to his shirt. Ban appeared not to care about it, though.

Refusing to deal with the situation any longer, Ginji found the will power to run toward Ban, grab his hand and make their way away from the house. Ban showed little to no protest at Ginji's actions. The loud man shouted a few choice words as they ran off, but Ginji pushed them out of his mind best he could.

Ginji's mind was running at a thousand miles an hour, trying to get a grip on what he had just seen. He just could not believe anything from the past few minutes. He refrained from believing any of it to be the truth.

After they ran a few decent blocks away and ended up in a park, Ban tore his hand out of Ginji's grasp, and began screaming at him. "What the fucking hell Ginji?! I thought I told you to never, _ever _ come over to my house! Why can't you listen to something so simple!?" He let out a loud grumble as he smacked Ginji hard on the shoulder.

"Ow! Ban! That really hurt!" Ginji held his hand up to his now throbbing shoulder, and looked at Ban with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, but you didn't come to school for so long! And...and...you didn't tell me anything! I was so worried about you! Why...why didn't you...just..." Ginji could not find the words. He was relieved he found Ban, but he still did not understand what had just happened.

Ginji's eyes were beginning to water as he stared at Ban, desperately trying to not burst into tears as he did so. Ban avoided Ginji's eyes, his bright blue orbs darting from side to side. "...Ginji..." His voice was shockingly soft and full of sudden concern. "Ginji...what you saw just now..." Ban's voice trailed off. He still could not bare to say anything to Ginji. Even though Ginji had _seen _part of it, Ban could still not say anything.

Ginji's voice hiccuped as tears began to roll down his puffy cheeks with none of his consent. He sniffled loudly, trying to make the crying stop, but could not. Ban was in so much pain. Ginji could hear it in his voice, and see it in his eyes...and see it on his skin. Ginji had _always _seen signs of suffering and anguish from his best friend. He had always wanted to hold him close and whisper in his ear that it was alright. That he could get through whatever it was. Ginji always had.

But it was impossible. Ginji could not do anything for Ban. That reality had haunted Ginji's dreams for years, and he hated it. _Loathed it. _But what was Ginji to do? He could not change the way it was. Ginji could not just magically make everything all better by whispering some meager words into Ban's ear. It was never that simple.

A soft hand was placed atop of Ginji's shaking shoulder. Bright brown eyes connected with blue ones. A slim finger flicked a salty tear from Ginji's face, and Ban spoke in a low voice. "Don't cry for me, you idiot. I'm not worth it." He smirked sadly.

Ginji shook his head rapidly. "Stop putting yourself down, Ban!" Another loud hiccup escaped Ginji as the tears continued to roll. "You-You always do that! I hate it! I hate how you always put yourself down like that! You-" Ginji sniffled, and stared intently into Ban's eyes. "You _are _worth it, Ban! You're worth it to me! So-so-just stop keeping secrets from me!"

Ban blinked a few times. His heart felt as if it had stopped, and a large lump was in his throat. He tried to shake it off. "Stop lying, Ginji!" Ban's voice was loud and demanding, but it had a strong sorrow to it. "Why the hell do you hang around me, anyways?!"

Ginji gasped inwardly at Ban's comment. "Stop doing that!" He yanked himself away from Ban, rubbing at his own eyes sloppily. "I'm not lying to you, Ban-chan!" Ginji stared at Ban's feet for a moment before his eyes slowly met with Ban's once more. "You're important to me. I don't want to see you be hurt anymore." His voice was quiet and sounded tired.

Ban slowly averted his eyes away from Ginji's, staring to his side. His heart was pounding profusely, and his left arm would _not _stop throbbing. He tightened his jaw, quietly listening to the sound of Ginji's sobs.

Ban was not sure what to say. He was never good at feelings or speaking in general. Never felt like he would ever need to be, but this moment made him feel like he should at least try. Someone was crying for him. No...not someone. His best friend was crying for him. _Ginji _was crying for _him. _

He brought his calloused hand up to Ginji's cheek once more, managing to calm him down a little bit. Ban softened his eyes as much as he could and began speaking. "Listen Ginji...I," His throat tightened more trying to get him to stop speaking, but he continued on anyway. "I never wanted you to see that." His jaw went slack. "Ever."

Ginji's watery eyes focused entirely on Ban's swirling blues. Ban's hand was starting to relax him, soothing his crying to a near stop. "I don't understand, Ban. What-what did I walk into?" Ginji's lips were in a tight frown, trying to figure everything out. "...and why-" He let his sentence hang, not feeling the need to actually state it out loud. Ban's wounds could speak for themselves.

Ban sighed loudly, sitting on the nearby bench. He folded his arms, his attitude beginning to come back slightly. "Hey, Ginji..."

Ginji looked down at Ban on the bench, deciding to sit beside him. Ginji scratched the back of his neck, feeling a sudden awkwardness as he looked at Ban with his peripheral vision. "Yeah Ban?" His voice was sort of quiet and he sniffled again.

Ban cocked his head to look at Ginji straight on. Their eyes locked instantly. Ginji's eyes were staring at Ban's confused. "You know..." The last word was barely even spoken, and Ginji's ears began to ring.

Ginji had his hands resting on the bench at his sides, arms stiff and strangely positioned. His crying had completely halted, but his heart began to pound rapidly. "What is it?"

"It's...just..." Ban just could not seem to finish a sentence suddenly, his eyes not breaking contact with Ginji's even once. A pale hand slithered its way over a dark one, nervously. The mood had taken a complete one eighty suddenly.

Ginj held in the urge to make an odd girlish squeal, the sensation of Ban's hand on his own causing a thousand emotions to run through his already buzzed mind. "B-Ban?"

Ban bit his lip, causing the blood to start slowly dripping down once more. He moved in closer to Ginji's face, stopping a mere inch away, allowing a small chuckle to escape him before landing a gentle kiss on Ginji's trembling lips.

Ginji pulled away in a start. The taste of blood was prominent on his lips, but he could not care less. He stared at Ban, who was now facing away from Ginji and scratching at his cheek in a nervous manor.

"I..." Ban started, voice trembling ever so slightly. "...Don't know why I did that." A very light hue of pink was spreading along Ban's ears. He laughed unevenly.

Ginji simply could not manage to get a hold of _anything _that had happened in the last hour or so. Nothing was making sense. He cleared his throat. "...That's okay, Ban. I'm not sure why I did that last time either..." Ginji scratched the back of his head, laughing lightly.

Ban turned and rose a brow at him. "Oh yeah, I was going to ask about that." He smirked.

Ginji threw his hands in front of his face, waving furiously. He was suddenly incredibly aware of himself. "No-no reason." Ginji abruptly stood off of the bench, and began to walk away. "We-we should go take care of your wounds, Ban."

Ban coughed into his hand, then wiped some blood off of his chin, shocked at how much there really was. He patted his hand onto his pants, the blood coming off on them. Standing up, he walked toward Ginji, and pulled at his arm, forcing him to turn around. "Ginji." His voice was stern, but not angry.

Ginji winced away, trying to avoid eye contact, but Ban forced him to face him with his other hand, Ginji refused to open his eyes however. "Ginji." Ban repeated. "Why did you kiss me last time?"

Ginji peaked at Ban with one eye, instantly shutting it again when he saw Ban's serious face. "But-but Ban, you just kissed me!" He once again waved a hand excitedly at his side, as if trying to make some childish point.

Ban made a weird noise, going silent for a moment, then gripping slightly tighter on Ginji's jaw as he tried to turn away from him. "That-That was just-" He stopped speaking for a moment, trying to figure out his reasoning. "That was to thank you."

Ginji opened his eyes to glower down at Ban a little bit, forcing himself out of Ban's grip, and throwing his hands behind him childishly. "You don't do that just to thank people, Ban!"

Ban turned his face away from Ginji, covering his mouth with his hand, then mumbled. "But, you were crying, idiot."

Ginji leaned in toward Ban. "What? You kissed me because I was crying?" Ban's face turned a shade of pink, and he turned away more.

"Sh-Shut up! Let's just forget the damn thing happened! I want to leave this park!" Ban tossed his hands into his pockets, then began to angrily make his way out of the park.

Ginji stood where he was for a moment, then trotted to walk beside Ban. For some odd reason, he was all smiles. He really should not be, as the situation not too long ago was pretty extreme, but he could not help it.

Ban did not come out and say it, but suddenly, Ginji just _knew _he was important to him. Perhaps, what Ban lacked in vocabulary, he would make up for with his actions. Even if they were near impossible to translate.

**XXX**

...aaaaand chapter three is finished. Yay for the super angst. Did I do the angst alright? I hope I did.

I really hope I didn't leap into the cute too suddenly...I just figured it seemed...well...Ban and Ginji like. They don't seem the type to want to dwell on depressing things for too long, and I figured Ban would be the first to change the subject in that sort of situation, since it directly involved him.

Don't worry, this is NOT the last chapter. If all goes well, this is only maybe half way through. Maybe. I found it hard to stop this chapter from getting any longer, actually. XDD

Anyways!

Review please! I want to know how I did with my angsty skills. *serious face*

Till next time...

~AkemiKae~


	4. Ripped from my Purple Sky

Hey, I bring you an update! I'm bad at being on time, I know, but here you are! I'll leave the ranting till the end. Enjoy!

**XXX**

**Broken Like Me**

_Chapter Four_

_Ripped from my purple sky_

**XXX**

The small apartment was full of sounds of pain, as Ginji pressed a wet cloth against Ban's sore arm. There were dark bruises along the entirety, and some of them were more like welts with a bruise on top of them, rather than just a bruise. Ban's arm looked like a nightmare, and Ginji could not even imagine the pain Ban was going through.

Ban hissed loudly as Ginji hit an exceptionally painful area. "Shit! Be more careful." He glared over at Ginji, who's face looked extremely concerned.

"I'm sorry, Ban!" Ginji pulled his hands away instantly, and simply looked at Ban with giant puppy dog eyes. "I'm just trying to help you..." He poked his lips out, and sounded like he was about to cry.

Bright blue eyes flickered over toward Ginji. "Don't you dare start crying again, idiot. If anyone should cry, it's me. So stop it." He brought his right hand up to Ginji's bright blond spikes, ruffling his hair up a bit. Ban smirked slightly, as Ginji smiled at him.

Ginji placed a hand atop of the one Ban placed on his head, smiling widely. "I know...I just feel bad." He squeezed Ban's hand affectionately, not wanting to let go. His heart was pounding lightly in his chest. "I don't like seeing you hurt..."

Ban stared at Ginji's hand on top of his own, a slight butterfly sensation attacking his stomach. He swallowed loudly before he spoke up. "I'm sorry you had to see what you did." His thumb began tracing the bottom of Ginji's palm. "I tried to keep you as far away from that part of my life as much as I could..."

"Ban..." Ginji's smile faded, and he grew more serious, hands going stiff. "I still don't fully understand." He stared at Ban's bright blue eyes, urging him to look over.

Ban's eyes drifted down, locking onto Ginji's cinnamon brown orbs. He sighed, and spoke in a soft voice. "I don't think you want to, Ginj." The shortening of Ginji's name, slipped off of his tongue as it often did when he spoke in a more caring tone.

Ginji's eyes grew watery, but he refused to let a tear slide. He fidgeted with Ban's hand on his head, pulling it down to his side, and gently laced their fingers together. Ban looked down briefly at the act, then up to Ginji's face once more. "I do Ban...I want to know more about _you. _I've known you for years, but...I still don't know about your family."

Ban's jaw hardened instantly at the mention of the word family. He really, _really _did not want to speak about them, but Ginji's pleading eyes were trying to tear down Ban's barriers. "I'm...sorry Ginji, but I don't want to talk about it. Can...we just drop it for a while?" Ban smirked for a few seconds, then pulled his gaze down toward their interlaced hands, not wanting to face Ginji.

Once again, Ginji's face went gloomy. "But...Ban..."

"I said drop it Ginji!" Ban shouted suddenly, still facing their hands.

It was clear that Ban had been more tense than usual since they arrived at Ginji's apartment, and Ginji had a pretty big idea as to why. He wanted to know about what he had seen. No...Ginji _needed _to know about what he saw. He hated pestering Ban about something so obviously painful, but, he just really needed to understand.

Ginji shook his head lightly. "Ban."

Ban didn't show any sign that he had heard him at all. He wiggled his wounded arm around for a moment, attempting to relieve the sudden pain that flew through it.

Ginji repeated. "Ban." His voice was low.

Dark spikes shook, as Ban's head moved in a slight motion, signaling that he really just did not want to speak. His gaze was still locked on to their hands.

Growing frustrated, Ginji's voice rose, and he yanked their hands out of Ban's sight. "Ban! Look at me! Stop being so stubborn."

Ban remained in the same position for a while, before he forfeited, looking at Ginji with piercing blue eyes. "I'm _not _being stubborn. I just don't want to talk about it." Ban's voice was unusually quiet for once.

Ginji let their hands fall to his side once more, and he found himself watching them. He wriggled his fingers slightly, not sure why Ban had not tried to remove his hand once

It had grown dark over the time they had been at Ginji's, and they never turned the lights on, causing them to be in a very dark living room. Ban was slouched in the corner of the couch, while Ginji sat on the coffee table in front of him. There was enough light for them to see very small details on their faces, but not much more.

Neither had spoken since their last conversation, and their hands were still intertwined. It had gotten both of them thinking, and caused them both to be in different stages of confusion.

They had been friends ever since they had met. Ban arrived at school one day, a large bruise in plain sight under his right eye. No one in his class seemed to honestly care, except for Ginji, who almost instantly ran up to him, and made sure he was alright. That was the first time they met.

Ginji was far too kind to exist, and Ban was the most stubborn human on the planet. For the two opposites to mingle so well together was kind of a mystery, but it caused for a beautiful and powerful friendship. They would always have each others backs. Ginji had an open door policy the moment they began speaking to each other, even though, at the time, Ginji's parents were still alive. His parents were not exactly fond of Ban at first, but they could not just stand by and not help someone that seemed to be in need of a place to escape to.

After Ginji's parents got killed in an act of arson on their house, Ginji was left to fend for himself. Ban did the best that he could to help Ginji find a place to stay, and even let him stay at his own home for a couple of days. That was pretty much the only time that Ginji had ever been to Ban's house, and it was only because Ban's parent's had been out of town. If they had not of been, Ginji would not known what to have done.

Ever since then, Ban had practically lived at Ginji's place, and Ginji had never questioned why. Around once a week, he would have bruises, or cuts, or some other sort of wound, but Ginji had only ever questioned it once. Ban threw a fit about Ginji asking too much, thus he never asked again.

Ginji's hand squeezed Ban's hand tightly, deciding to break the silence. "Hey, Ban."

Ban looked up at Ginji, having spaced out at the floor before hand. "Yeah, what is it?" He swallowed a lump out of his throat at the feeling of Ginji's hand tightening.

Ginji was a little hesitant, but spoke anyway. "Please don't be mad."

Ban rose a brow. "Mad? Mad about wha-" He was not allowed the luxury of finishing his sentence, as Ginji had broken the distance in between them, locking their lips.

Ban nearly gasped and pulled away, but he found himself actually pushing into the kiss more, loving the feeling of Ginji's lips against his own. His chest grew hot, and his heart was trying to break his rib cage. Their hands clutched to each other hard as they could, and started to go numb.

Ginji's free hand began slithering through Ban's silky brown hair, making shivers crawl down Ban's spine. Everything felt so good, so tingly. Ban thought he was going to faint.

Ban pushed even deeper into the kiss, but to his surprise and disappointment, Ginji pulled away slowly, staring him down with his golden brown eyes. A goofy smirk across his lips, Ginji spoke in a quiet voice. "...are you mad?"

To his amazement, Ban was actually anything _but _mad. In fact, he was kind of sad that Ginji had pulled away so quickly. "...That's the third time." He smirked from embarrassment, despite himself.

Ginji giggled a little bit, leaping onto the couch to sit beside Ban. He slid to sit directly against him, his shoulder nudging into Ban's as he talked. "So...you're not angry with me?" His voice was low and slightly shaky.

Ban stayed silent for a little bit, enjoying the feeling of Ginji huddling against him. Every inch he touched remained tingly. "...No." That answer scared Ban. He was shocked that he was perfectly alright with kissing another guy...with kissing Ginji. "...I'm not..." He spaced out at the television in front of him, not sure where to look anymore.

Ginji laughed a little bit, sliding his hand over Ban's right arm, letting his fingers glide over his skin. His breathing was suddenly shaky, and the mood had gotten...strange. He opened his mouth to say something to Ban, but fell silent, unsure of what he was going to say exactly. His hand found Ban's once more, laying gently atop of his.

"...Ginji." Ban turned to face Ginji, his dark brown locks covering his eyes. "Why..." The hand underneath Ginji's twitched, as Ban did not know what to do with it. He was no good at physical contact. "Why...do you think we've never...I mean,why do you think we're doing this type of thing right now?" Ban's voice was quiet, and he sounded more hesitant the more he spoke.

Ginji tilted his head in confusion, moving Ban's hair out of his face, so that he could look at his eyes again. He smiled lightly. "Doing what, Ban?" He sounded completely innocent, as if he honestly did not understand what Ban was talking about.

Ban let out a small chuckle in response. His bright blue eyes eventually looked up at Ginji's light brown eyes. "This...you know." He slid his fingers between Ginji's and lifted up their hands to where Ginji could see them. "And..." Ban let his word slide, as he found himself awkwardly smirking at the thought of what he was saying. Saying everything out loud was much more difficult than doing it.

Ginji's eyes lit up, figuring out what Ban was getting at. He perked up and shouted in a loud, happy tone. "Oh! You mean like holding hands and stuff!"

No shame.

Ban let out a strange noise, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. Ginji had no tact. "Ye-yes! You giant idiot! No need to shout it out to the whole freaking world!" Ban's jaw tightened once more as he felt Ginji's grip on his hand get tighter again.

Ginji moved closer to Ban, practically sitting on his lap at that point. He smiled even brighter up at Ban, his fingers caressing Ban's forehead as he moved his bangs aside again.

The sensation caused Ban's face to warm up, and he felt unusually aware of himself. He hated how Ginji got him all worked up most of the time, but this was much, _much, _more than he had ever done. At least, that he had ever let Ginji see.

They sat on the couch in silence for a while, simply looking at each other's faces. Neither of the two knew what to do. It had officially grown awkward.

Ban found himself biting his lip, and turned away from Ginji, growing too flustered to let him see his face any longer. It was not like Ban to get so embarrassed, but the strange turn of events that night were really getting to him. He seriously _sucked _at emotions, and physical contact.

"...Are you tired yet, Ban?" Ginji said, breaking the silence once again.

Ban did not say anything for a few seconds, till he finally looked over at Ginji. "Actually yeah, I'm pretty damn exhausted."

Ginji stood up, dragging Ban along with him. However, Ban yanked his hand out of Ginji's, and stood his ground in front of the couch. "I'm...going to sleep out here." He tried to sound confident in his decision, but he felt his voice waver.

Shaking his head, Ginji grabbed for Ban's hand. "No you aren't Ban! You're sleeping in my bed! Don't be dumb."

Ban's brow twitched. "Dumb? Me? You're calling _me _dumb?!" He smacked Ginji's hand away. Everything that had happened that day was just too much for Ban to handle.

Not only did he let Ginji see something that he was _never _ever supposed to witness, but they had also grown awkward because of...certain situations. Ban hated the sudden change. He just wanted to go home and sleep, with Ginji no where in sight. The problem was...he did not want to go _home _at all, and he had absolutely no where else to go. So he was stuck with Ginji. Ginji, who was half of Ban's current problems.

Ginji grumbled at Ban's stubbornness. "Yeah! I'm calling you dumb, Ban! Because, you _are _dumb! You're not sleeping on the couch! My place, _my _rules. And I'm not letting you leave, either." Ginji's tone was actually rather childish, as if he were trying to force rules onto his parents.

Ban sighed as loud as he possibly could, Ginji having latched on to his hand once again. He could not look at him. He was too confused. "...Fine. I surrender Ginji. Just...shut up."

Ginji smiled, knowing he was going to win the battle from the very beginning. He dragged Ban into his room, letting go of his hand only to allow him to get in the bed. Only Ban did not move. He stood still, simply staring at the tiny excuse for a mattress.

Placing a hand on Ban's shoulder, Ginji nudged him toward it a little forcefully. It only resulted in Ban wobbling awkwardly, his feet staying planted on the ground. "Baaaannnn." Ginji grumbled, growing irritated at him.

Ban said nothing.

Done trying to get Ban to move, Ginji let go of his shoulder, and leapt on to the bed himself. "I'm claiming the fluffy pillow!" Ginji shouted playfully, attempting to lighten the mood up a little bit.

Still, Ban did not move, he just watched Ginji getting playful. Ginji was always like that, doing anything childish to try and switch things up a bit, and try to get things back to the usual. The blond boy snuggled into a plush pillow, cheeks puffing up as he stared up at Ban. "Come on Ban! You only slept on the couch when we first met, get in here!"

Something in that last comment made Ban's mouth twitch. "No." Ban folded his arms, then casually fell to the floor, cross legged. His face got kind of sour, and his voice got quiet. "Look, if you won't let me sleep on the couch, I'll just sleep on the floor." Slowly, he began to lay on the old carpet, but Ginji caught Ban's hand yanking him up to a staggering stand.

Ginji's grip was fierce, but Ban quickly yanked himself away. "Stop touching me!" He spat, then turned to exit the room.

Ginji's eyes grew wide and filled with confused tears. Ginji stood silent for a moment, watching Ban slowly leave the room, till he finally decided to stop him. He gripped Ban's arm as if his life depended on it, refusing to let him take another step. "Ban." His voice was stern, but slightly shaky from tears he desperately tried to hold back.

Ban's arm muscles twitched beneath Ginji's hand, trying to get him to let go, but something was not allowing himself actually yank away this time. He threw a quick glance back at Ginji, then stared at the floor. Ban did not want to talk, he did not want to be around Ginji, he just wanted to sleep. He was just so tired, much more tired than a boy his age should be allowed. All Ban wanted to do was curl into a ball, travel off to candy clouds and paper flowers, and never wake up to the monsters just behind his bedroom door ever again.

But Ginji would not let him. No, Ginji would always pull him into a different type of reality. One that never lasted very long, but was pleasant while it did. The moments he spent with Ginji were more like perfect snippets of the best dreams Ban could fathom. In fact, 'dream' would be the best way to say it; Ginji _was _Ban's candy clouds and paper flowers. Ginji would do his best to seal off the door where the monsters knocked. Only, there was a problem. Dreams could never last forever, eventually, Ban had to wake up.

And sometimes, the monsters knocked down the door, tearing him out of his wonderful dream.

That is where he stood now. Ban would not allow himself to be lulled back into dream land with Ginji, because Ginji was now introduced to Ban's nightmare of a reality. His perfect dream had grown corrupt.

"Ban." Ginji squeezed at Ban's arm once more. "Ban, you need sleep."

Ban shook his head lightly. "I'm fine sleeping elsewhere." His voice was growing hoarse.

Ginji placed his other hand on the nape of Ban's neck, softly running his thumb against his pail skin. His eyes wandered for a brief moment before focusing on Ban's arm in hold. "You have dark circles under your eyes. You look like the zombies from that movie, you need sleep, and I won't let you sleep anywhere but in my bed!"

The dark haired boy sighed slowly, relaxing from the sensation on his neck. It caused small chills to roll down his spine. "Go to sleep before me Ginji, I'll be fine." Ban's voice was lathered in tired.

"I won't be able to sleep without you next to me tonight, Ban. You had me worried about you." Rebellious tears began to form in his eyes once more, even though he tried to fight them off in attempt to show Ban how strong he was being. Or at least trying to be.

Ban wanted to punch something. He hated how Ginji's tears could get to him so easily, it was practically flawless. Ban had no defense mechanism against the tears, once they were shed, Ban was hooked. He had no choice but to do Ginji's wish. It was a ridiculous art form in Ginji's sense, and yet, Ban was completely taken by it, every damn time.

Ban huffed a large, exasperated sigh in surrender as he spun around to face Ginji and ruffle his blond spikes. "You're such a sap." The corner of his mouth curved into a tiny smile he only showed Ginji.

Ginji leapt up in surprise to the feeling of Ban's fingers in his hair. "We-well, you're mean!" His cinnamon eyes finally released the tears he had been holding back. "Stupid Ban-chan!"

Still messing up Ginji's hair a bit, Ban chuckled ever so slightly. "I know, I know." Ginji continued to let tears slide down his cheeks. Ban brought a thin finger to Ginji's face, catching a tear. "I told you to stop crying for me, dope." Ban drew his face instantly closer to his partner's, examining his features intensely with a slightly anxious look.

Ginji vaguely gawked at Ban's face for a few moments before realizing how close he was, then ducking away a bit. "Wha-what?" Ginji asked, in a very quiet whisper.

Ban smirked for a second before swooping in for a small peck on Ginji's lips. "Nothing, let's go to sleep." Not allowing Ginji the time to properly respond, Ban took him by the hand and pulled him toward the bed. Ginji made random, insincere protests, as Ban forced them both to fall onto the bed.

Ginji huddled into himself at first, completely confused about the last thirty or so seconds. Ban's arms were clasped around his waist with no clear intent on letting go. Their legs intertwined tightly, Ban's foot slowly rubbing up and down against Ginji's shin. Ginji could feel Ban's heartbeat thump rapidly against his back, and his breathing slipped right against his neck and below his left ear.

He wanted to speak, and ask Ban what he was doing, but strangely enough, Ginji had no words. And he desperately did _not _want to ruin the moment.

Ginji adjusted his legs to a more comfortable position, Ban's following suit not seconds later. Ginji was not sure how he was able to continue breathing with as close as Ban was, his body heat flowing through every fiber of Ginji's being.

Ban's hand fumbled for one of Ginji's, latching on for life the moment it found contact with one. Their fingers interlaced clumsily, Ban then slowly pulling them against Ginji's chest to rest and feel the rough beat of his heart.

They lay in complete silence, enjoying each others touch and scents, merely moving to bring themselves closer to the other. It grew darker, and later, as they grew calmer and sleepier. As Ginji's eyes began to slip close, he could have sworn he heard Ban whisper something. It was completely incoherent, but for some odd reason, Ginji felt his heart skip a beat just before he gave way to dream land.

XXX

Well, yeah. Details on cuddling is hard, okay? Was it sloppy? Was it too similar to before? WAS IT BEAUTIFUL?

But mostly, did Ban seem OOC? It's really hard to tell sometimes when you're the one writing, you know? So did he?

Also, yes, I totally used something reminiscent of Evenescense lyrics, I couldn't help it. Ha ha.

Plus, also also, sorry for late update, yada yada. I told you I suck at updating, but at least I get to it, right?

Anyhoodles, no idea when the next chapter will be up, as I finished writing this one when I really should be sleeping, because it's like two in the morning, and I have work at nine. Heh. This is too often of an occurrence, I blame Ban and Ginji.

Seriously.

Well, love love. Reviews are a lovely thing.

...Till next time...

AkemiKae~


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